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Cleanup Underway at the Former Industrial Metal Alloys Company in Winston-Salem, NC

(Atlanta, Ga. – Nov. 1, 2007) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is supervising a cleanup of contaminated soil along the banks of an unnamed creek behind the former Industrial Metal Alloys Company solder plant in Winston-Salem, N.C. The removal action at the site, which began this week, is a short-term cleanup intended to stabilize the site and remove any hazards it may pose to human health and the environment.

Sampling at the site has confirmed the presence of contaminated surface soils on the property and elevated levels of lead within sediments along a 40 foot stretch of the unnamed creek. Sediments in the creek downstream from the site have been tested and were not found to be contaminated.

The plant operated from 1956 to 1993 and is located at 20 E. Acadia Ave. The EPA evaluated the site in 2005 at the request of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. In 2006, NK Holdings LLC, the corporate successor to Industrial Metal Alloys, signed a consent agreement with the EPA to excavate and restore the contaminated soil around the plant and in any affected residential yards. EPA officials contacted nearby residents prior to removal work to notify them of the cleanup. Excavation activity began Monday, Oct. 29. 2007 by contractors hired by NK Holdings. EPA will maintain oversight throughout the removal activities.

The site is has been fenced off and is locked at all times. Information about the progress of the cleanup is available online at www.epaosc.net/IMACO.